Electronic registration a great leap forward

By Wendy Weiser and Elisabeth Genn

Published
10:36 pm EDT, Tuesday, August 21, 2012

It's not often that news about New York state's election process is cause for celebration. But the Empire State is showing the nation that it is ready to lead when it comes to innovative election reform. New York just announced a new voter registration system that will bring the state into the 21st century — and increase our abysmal registration rates.

New York ranks 48th in the nation for voter registration, with less than 64 percent of eligible voters registered. The state also has among the lowest turnout rates in the country.

Even worse, New York leads the nation in voter registration-related problems. The state's voter rolls are filled with errors — a 2004 New York City study found typos in 20 percent of records.

Part of the problem is how voters get registered. Every year, hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers register to vote at a Department of Motor Vehicle office. These voters must fill out a paper form (if the employees have one on hand and remember to hand it out), which is then gathered and mailed to each county's Board of Elections (if the employees keep track of the papers and remember to do so on time). This outdated and error-prone process can prevent eligible New Yorkers from making it onto the rolls.

Last week, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced a new system to simplify and modernize voter registration.

No longer will you need to fill out a paper form at the DMV to register and rely on proper paper processing. Now, DMV offices will collect voter registration applications electronically and pass that information directly to the Board of Elections — automatically.

Even better, any eligible voter with a driver's license can go online and register to vote, without having to print or mail any forms. Registered voters can also update their address or change their party affiliation instantly.

This paperless registration system is a gigantic leap forward. It will greatly increase New York's shamefully low voter registration rate.

Currently, only 17.6 percent of voter registrations in New York come from DMVs. Nationally, this number is more than 30 percent. In Washington, the number of voter registration transactions at DMVs doubled after automation. In South Dakota, it grew almost eightfold.

By taking this critical step, New York is joining a growing group of states that have revamped their voter registration process, and reaped the benefits of innovation. Twelve other states have fully automated registration at DMVs, and nine more have partial automation. Eleven states have online registration. California, Connecticut and Hawaii will soon. Election officials can attest that automating registration at DMVs increases accuracy, minimizes the potential for fraud and saves money, all while increasing registrations.

Maricopa County, Ariz., recouped its startup costs for an automated registration system in a single election — saving over $450,000.

Creating more options for voters to register — and ensuring they make it onto the rolls — will make a real difference. After many a setback for New York's voters, it is heartening to see New York taking the lead to create a system that works for all voters.

With the successful implementation of this program, it is time to take the next step and expand this system to all agencies required to provide voter registration services, including public service agencies.